Flowers are the wedding line item with the widest price range for the same visual result. Almost all of the difference is season and variety.
In this guide
- Why season is the whole story
- Spring
- Summer and autumn
- Winter
- Where to spend and where to save
- Briefing a florist properly
Why season is the whole story
A flower in season locally costs a third of the same flower flown in out of season. Peonies in May are affordable; peonies in October are a luxury import. Choosing seasonally is the single biggest saving available in wedding flowers, and it makes the arrangements look like they belong to the time of year.
Spring
- Tulips, ranunculus, anemone, hyacinth, narcissus
- Peony from late May, and the cheapest it will ever be
- Lilac, sweet pea, cherry and apple blossom
- Palette: soft, pale, high-contrast greens
Summer and autumn
- Summer: garden roses, delphinium, sweet pea, hydrangea, stock, cosmos
- Late summer: dahlia — enormous, cheap and dramatic
- Autumn: chrysanthemum, amaranthus, astilbe, dried grasses, seed heads
- Autumn foliage does more than blooms: copper beech, oak, smoke bush
Winter
Amaryllis, hellebore, anemone, ranunculus from January, plus evergreens — spruce, pine, eucalyptus, holly. Winter is the season where foliage and candlelight should carry the room; flowers are the accent, not the structure.
Where to spend and where to save
Spend on the bouquet and the two arrangements that appear in every photograph — the ceremony focal point and the top table. Save by using foliage-led centrepieces, bud vases in repetition, and reusing the ceremony flowers at the reception. Ask your florist to move them; most will for a small fee.
Greenery costs roughly a quarter of what blooms do and photographs beautifully in volume.
Briefing a florist properly
Bring your palette in physical form — a swatch, a printed invitation, a napkin — not a screen. Give them three photographs you love and one you dislike. State your budget as a number at the first meeting. Then let them choose the varieties; a florist working to a palette and a budget will always beat a rigid shopping list.
From Sagevow
Pick a palette once and every piece — signage, menus, numbers, place cards — arrives matched to it.
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